OWENSVILLE — Jeannette Krupp, a 1999 Owensville High School graduate and standout volleyball Dutchgirl, on Saturday completed her 700-plus mile bicycle home from Texas — finishing a journey her late brother, Karl, was unable to make by bus.

Krupp shared her message of supporting mental health resources for people with substance abuse issues and promoting public access to medication such as Narcan to reverse opioid overdoses nationwide during her bicycle ride from Amarillo, Texas, to Owensville which began Aug. 27.

Her journey, #karlslastride, promoted through her non-profit #StayStrongKrupp, will be shared on a CNN podcast “Five Good Things” starting this Saturday. She wants nationwide legislation placing the opioid reversal medicine on all public transportation systems including buses, planes, and trains. It’s a message she shared for 10 television interviews as she crossed Texas and into southwest Missouri.

A high school strength coach for 700 students in Denton, Texas, Krupp has completed four extended bicycle tours promoting her message that it’s OK to ask for help with addiction and for ways to save lives in an accidental overdose situation. Her brother died on a bus while returning to Missouri due to an apparent ingestion of the powerful opioid Fentanyl. 

She has set up four “Narcan nooks” in her home community and received word during the trip that several need to be refilled. It shows there’s a need, she said.

While this is expected to be her final endurance ride — a hip replacement is being considered — she hoped to continue the effort potentially with shorter rally-style rides leading to speaking events. Several Texas and Missouri colleges have reached out to her during this tour about scheduling her for speaking events.